Southeast Asian Club Hosts Their First Event Of The School Year

The Southeast Asian Club held a successful Welcome Dinner on September 21 that went past both presidents’ expectations.

Co-president, Jessica Tran, expressed her excitement: “I'm really happy that a lot of people came and that we sold out of our membership cards. We didn't expect that at all. When we bought the membership cards, we didn't think we would even sell half of them.”

One of the reasons for the success of the event is due to the co-presidents’ teamwork. Co-President, Sirin Ruksujarit, discussed how different her role as Events Coordinator the previous year is from her Co-presidency position this year. “It's definitely much more work - and working with Jessica has been really nice cause we divide the work,” said Rukusujarit.

Photo by Ashley Giovannini

Likewise, Jessica, who agreed on the perks of having a co-president, said, “We've been working pretty well together so far, in my opinion. I think we are good together as co-presidents and I'm really happy I can rely on him.”

People who came for the event got a taste of popular Southeast Asian food, with courtesy of their sponsors from a variety of restaurants such as Pick Thai, Bamboo Chopsticks, SS Korean and Grand 88 Buffet. However, as the number of people attending exceeded their expectations, Sirin stated that the food was just barely enough for everyone.

The event consisted of more than just mouthwatering dishes; there were also games, raffles and performances.

The ASA Dance Team, also known as IGNIS, showed sharp dance moves on stage. Dance team leader, Rachael Wong, stated that cultural integration is an important for the dance team, and that the team is thankful for the invitation to perform.

“We feel honored to be invited to every cultural event as it means our dance team has a symbol of multiculturalism and thus we can share and represent our own cultures through dancing”, added Wong.

Photo by Ashley Giovannini

The team organized a variety of games that allowed everyone in the room to make new friends. Highlighting games that, according to Ruksujarit, allowed everyone to interact with each other.

Tran said that the event boosted many people’s interest in the SEAC’s upcoming events.

Speaking of events for the upcoming year, the Tran said that their firstmost upcoming event would be the Haunted House, in collaboration with ASA and other clubs in school. They also plan on hosting A Taste of Southeast Asia, where dishes are showcased for attendees to dig in. During next semester, the team plans on hosting an event that celebrates the Lunar New Year and the traditional Lantern Festival. Tran added, “ our events team is working really hard to put out new contents, so keep an eye out on our Facebook and Instagram.”